VMSIAKH4190 – Master's thesis in Viking and Medieval Studies
Course content
The theme of the master's thesis in Viking and Medieval Studies is chosen in collaboration with, and must be approved by, the thesis supervisor. The thesis must represent a piece of independent research work and must be an interdisciplinary study within the field of Viking and/or medieval studies.
The emphasis may be placed on one of the following disciplines:
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Old Norse philology
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Irish philology
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archaeology or/and history combined with Old Norse philology
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Old Norse philology combined with Irish philology
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Old Norse philology and Irish philology combined with archaeology or/and history
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history combined with archaeology
The thesis will comprise between 80 to 100 pages of approximately 2,300 keystrokes, excluding spaces, per page.
Learning outcome
The objective of the master’s thesis course is to train students in argumentative, source-critical and problem-orientated research and to acquaint them with various theoretical and methodological research approaches. Through conducting independent research, students will learn how knowledge is created and how to assert their own expertise. The writing of the thesis itself will strengthen students’ ability to write good prose and to structure a written composition.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
- Admission to the Master programme Viking and Medieval Studies
- Completed the series of taught courses (60 credits) according to the structuring of the programme
Teaching
Supervision in connection with writing the master's thesis is obligatory.
In order to be assigned a supervisor, students must agree to and sign a supervision agreement for masters students enrolled in the Department. The Department appoints a supervisor and the supervision agreement will be sent to the student by the student advisor.
Each student is entitled to up to 15 hours of supervision
Examination
The master's thesis should be submitted during the last semester after all other courses have been completed.
Guidelines on format and structure can be found here.
The master's thesis may be written in English or Norwegian and will be graded on the basis of an alphabetical grading system (A-F). The thesis is assessed and graded by a subject teacher and an external sensor. Before the final grading there will be an oral examination of approximately one hour – a discussion between the student and two examiners about the thesis. The supervisor will not be a member of this panel; at least one of the examiners will be external. The final grade will be given after this oral examination.
It is mandatory to submit the thesis in full in DUO. You can read more about how to submit your thesis here.
See Master's thesis at ILN for information regarding formal requirements, supervisor, submission of thesis, grading, and more.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
A master’s thesis that is not passed may be resubmitted only once, and then within the agreed time and in revised form. A master’s thesis that is passed may not be resubmitted in revised form.
If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.